JWill Retires

Jason Williams has called it quits. I can't say i'm surprised, but i am disappointed. Jason was my favorite player while i was in high school, and i followed him through Memphis and Miami. It's obvious that he has to retire earlier than he anticipated, but his body just seems to be breaking down faster than usual.

Jason was drafted by the Kings as a sort of unknown player, a gamble since he'd already been in trouble a few times in college for pot and other things. He instantly became a fan-favorite with his ridiculous ball skills and a sense for the dramatic with his 3-pointers which he would launch anytime he felt like it, even on fast breaks. His run-n-gun style quickly spread throughout the Kings roster and a year later we were playoff bound with what Sports Illustrated called the "Greatest Show on Court", the lineup included JWill, CWebb, Peja, Christie and Vlade.

Jason found himself on Sportscenter almost every night with his fake behind the back passes to himself, pop-up 3's, and creative dribbles, his high-point coming in the Rookie Game with a behind the back - off the elbow pass to Pau Gasol. But with the highlights came the criticism. Jason was pinned as a guard that took too many chances and had too many turnovers. He was later traded to Memphis for Mike Bibby. There, under the direction of Hubie Brown, Jason was slowly molded into a typical boring point guard, stressing defense and control. For the rest of his short career Jason would never really open up his game, though improving his assist/turnover ratio greatly, Jason appeared to give up his need to showboat and entertain people, instead just trying to get along with coaches like Hubie Brown and Pat Riley, in boring systems that didn't allow for creativity.

I don't think we ever really got the chance to see Jason in a great situation after Sacramento, where Rick Adleman's system allows players to flourish and score, sacrificing defense. It seems like the NBA sometimes forgets that its entertainment first and suppressing one of the most entertaining players ever has to be regrettable.

Check these highlights out, you'll see why Jason
was amazing! After you watch the elbow pass, just keep clicking on links of Jason Williams highlights, you'll get the idea (search Jason Williams Gary Payton and watch JWill cross-up Payton).


Elbow Pass: